Sweet Pup RESCUED from Dog Meat Farm - Befriends Turkey 🦃| Heartwarming Story!

Transcript

Abbie Hubbard: Minnow is full of joy. She is just such a happy dog. She can be shy when she's meeting new people, but after just a little bit of time, she opens up, and she wants to be the life of the party. She's really just finds joy and excitement in every bit of life. She's just a real sweet sweet dog.

So Minnow started life on a dog meat farm in South Korea. A dog meat farm is a place where dogs are kept and raised to be consumed. It was a small dog meat farm, just a smattering of different types of dogs, so how she wound up there we're not quite sure. Humane Society International was able to close down the farm and bring the dogs specifically to the DC area, where I was working, and we met at a shelter outside of DC.

I remember doing an interview in Korea, and I had a reporter ask me, how does it feel to have a dog who is a meat dog, with the implication that, you know, she's different from another dog? And of course my response was, oh my goodness, you know, she's no different than any other dog. Her heart is the same.

And in that moment, I personally reflected on the culture that I live in. The animals that live on farms that we never stop to think about—I realized the same exact thing happens. we think of them as "other" we think of them as a "meat animal." And I remember in that moment thinking I really want to get to know some of the animals in my culture that go through the same things that the "dog meat dogs" go through.

So then when I did have the opportunity to bring Blossom into my life I realized that she is absolutely no different. She wants attention. She wants to feel comfortable. She loves blankets. She plays with toys. And it was just incredible, and so special to me, to be able to see the same experience that Minnow went through—adapting and flourishing in a life where she's cared for and nurtured and safe—the exact same thing happened with Blossom. You know, there was no difference. It's in some ways mind-blowing, and in some ways it's just like, of course, of course.

My guess is that Blossom had very limited interaction with people prior to coming to me. She lived on a factory farm and any handling that was done was probably not kind. I brought her home, and Minnow, who is always so excited when I come home with a little carrier, trotted over thinking maybe I'd brought her some kittens to foster or some other animal that needed some love and kisses, and opened up the carrier, and Minnow sniffed, and Blossom for some reason went, oh you're my friend! Blossom, you know made herself comfortable on Minnow's bed, and the two were instantly friends. And suddenly she watched Minnow go up to me—she watched me pet Minnow and Blossom went, maybe I could do that too, and that was one of the first times Blossom approached me.

I was raised, dogs are companions, cats are companions, rabbits sometimes companions, and turkeys are animals to be eaten, cows are eaten, chickens are eaten. When you're young, you accept all these messages. It's just, you're just flooded with them. It's, you know, in every aspect of your life. It's really important to think about these living beings. They do deserve our compassion, and they need our help. And it may be difficult, but we have to do it. I really hope that Minnow and Blossom can help me to help them and help others see that we to see them differently, and we need to treat them differently.